Morris Dixon says tech high school labs in shambles
Published:Wednesday | April 23, 2025 | 12:10 AM
WESTERN BUREAU:
Education Minister Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon is bemoaning the “deplorable state” of laboratory facilities at the island’s 14 technical high schools, noting that they are urgently in need of modernisation to align with global technological advancements.
Speaking at the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) Education Conference, held on Tuesday in Trelawny under the theme ‘Innovations in Education Technology: The Imperative of Change’, Morris Dixon emphasised the importance of revitalising technical education across the country.
“One of the key things we are doing is building out our labs in our technical high schools. Our technical high schools have been forgotten for a long time, and, when you go there, their labs are in a deplorable state,” Morris Dixon she said.
While highlighting the Government’s commitment to constructing six new STEM-focused schools nationwide, the minister stressed that technical education plays a vital role in equipping students across all learning levels with practical, in-demand skills.
STRATEGIC INITIATIVE
In response to the current challenges, Morris Dixon shared that a strategic initiative is under way, in collaboration with the HEART/NSTA Trust, to design and develop customised laboratories for each of the 14 technical high schools.
“We are in the process of finalising what [type of] lab each school will have,” Morris Dixon told members of the JTA as they met at Ocean Coral Spring Resort in Trelawny. The JTA represents approximately 22,000 public school teachers.
“Technical education is critical for the future, and we have not really focused enough on our technical high schools and giving them the kinds of technology and tools that’s needed,” she explained.